Heracles
by linguisticsrock
Summary: I was the greatest hero of all time. Everybody loved me, but I hated myself. The story of Heracles, his life and labors.
1. Prologue

Heracles

Disclaimer: I do not own PJO or any of it's characters.

For anyone who does not know, Heracles is the Greek name for Hercules.

Heracles POV

Today I am to be married.

Many people had predicted that this would never happen to me. They thought that I would never be able to do normal things.

I was supposed to be a great hero, everyone said so. I was a son of Zeus, and I possessed an inhuman strength that frightened everyone.

But I did not want to be a hero, I wanted to marry Megara and live normally. I wanted to forget that I had a godly parent. Zeus had done nothing for me, he had left my mother to Hera's wrath, letting her be turned into a cow. He had let his wife send snakes to me in my cradle, I was lucky to be alive.

Zeus did not care for me. I could die and I doubt he would care. Therefore, I would not use the power I had received from him, I had no desire to prove myself to him.

Megara was the only one who had ever been attached to me, I had been with many women, but none stayed for long. None actually cared for me, except Megara.

She was one of the most handsome women in Greece and she was the daughter of a respected man. I was happy to marry her.

I hoped she was happy as well, I had warned her, that I was not the best man. I drank heavily, and I had a weakness for pretty women, but Megara had insisted that she did not mind so much, and I took her at her word.

Her father approved and we were to be married today.

Today I turned my back on my godly heritage, and took on the mantle of the domestic man.

Eleven Years Later; Megara POV

I watched as Heracles wrestled outside with our sons. Ladon and Alcander were both strong, strapping boys, but even together they didn't have the slightest chance against their father.

Heracles had not been out for nearly two weeks, I was so proud of him. He tried so hard to overcome his vices. He still drank too much, and there were an awful lot of illegitimate children of his running around Thebes, but he tried.

I admit it made me jealous, not being the only woman. It saddened me when Heracles came home drunk, but he was always so sorry afterward.

He asked me to forgive him, time and time again. Then he would do penance, he never let a sin go without doing penance.

He would do a woman's chores, he would sometimes cut himself, or cut his hair. But never did he leave it be, he always tried, and that was what was important.

I put the bread, olives and hard cheese on the table, and called my boys in. At the mention of food, they rushed into the house like a pack of wolves, quickly sacrificing a portion of their meal to the flames, then digging in.

Usually the father of the family would eat first, but Heracles had insisted that his sons eat with him, he had tried to cajole me into joining them, but I bluntly refused. I was the wife and mother, and no self-respecting woman would eat at the same time as her husband.

Once Heracles and the boys had left the table, I quietly cleaned up the table, then took some food, enjoying some quiet moments to myself. I started washing the dinner things, when I heard someone come into the kitchen.

I looked up to find Heracles towering over me. He smiled jovially down at me, and picked me up, spinning me around before throwing me over his shoulder.

I pounded on his back playfully, "Put me down! You big lump, put me down this instant!" Heracles smiled at me over his shoulder, but ignored my insincere plea.

I gave up on trying to get down and asked, "Where, in the name of the gods, are you taking me?" Heracles laughed, shaking me with the vibrations in his chest.

"I am taking you to look at something magnificent. You have too much work, and I am dragging you away from it." He adjusted me on his shoulder, taking me out of the house and into the city.

To my embarrassment, Heracles carried me through the streets of Thebes. I hung there, trying to look dignified over the shoulder of my husband.

I heard people laughing at my position, but I didn't really mind. This was fun, and all the women laughing at me tomorrow would secretly be jealous.

At long last, Heracles put me down, laughing uproariously at what his little outing had done to my hair.

I put my hands on my hips and turned away from him, pretending to be indignant. His warm arms encircled my waist and he whispered in my ear, "Look, darling, and you won't be angry any longer." He pointed towards the horizon and I saw what he meant.

The sky was an inky blue, and across the horizon a long stripe of green-blue light waved across the sky, occasionally hues of crimson and orange would tint the wave, lighting up the sky spectacularly.

I gasped, the colors were beautiful, and I had not seen the lights in the sky since I was a little girl. I watched intently as the it rippled through the sky. I was completely entranced by the undulating wave.

After a few minutes, it went away, leaving the sky just as it was before. I turned around and hugged Heracles with all my might. "Thank you." I muttered into his broad chest.

He laughed again, "I'm sorry I had to carry you, but I was afraid you would miss it. You can't hardly see it over all the buildings, so I had to get you out here fast." I pulled away and looked up into his face.

His blue eyes danced with pleasure at the thought that he had made me happy, and I responded, "Heracles, you carried me because you thought it was funny. But I don't mind, this was wonderful, thank you."

I hugged him again and we headed home.

And so it begins. Review, please


	2. Horror

**Heracles**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any Greek mythology.**

**Thank you to all of you who reviewed :)**

**Megara POV**

After watching the lights in the sky, Heracles and I went home and I put the boys to bed. They resisted, but quickly did what I asked when their father came in to help.

Heracles had a few friends over once Alcander and Ladon were asleep. I had asked if they wanted any food, and they had all said they wanted none, and alcohol was forbidden in my house, so with nothing to do, I went to bed early.

A few hours later, I vaguely registered Heracles climbing into bed, but I quickly fell back asleep. I dreamt of a beautiful wave of light, coming down from the sky and scooping up my family. We went high into the air, laughing and happy.

Then the wave dropped us, we plummeted down towards the earth, screaming and twisting through the air, just before all four of us hit the ground, I woke up with a start.

I was breathing heavily, and turned to Heracles, to see if I had woken him. I was surprised to find that there was no one beside me.

I sat up and looked around the room. At last my eyes fell on my husband, curled up in a corner, rocking back and forth. I stared for a moment, never before had my husband been weak in front of me, it scared me to see him so vulnerable.

After a few moments, I got out of bed, and approached him. I put my hand on his shoulder, and whispered, "What's wrong, darling?" Heracles turned to me with flaming eyes. I reeled back at the look on his face, he looked as if he was being tortured by Hades himself.

"Heracles?" I said, my voice ripping through several octaves. He stood up and began to approach me. "Heracles?" I repeated, even more panicked than the first time. He just kept coming towards me, he moved as if he was in a trance, unable to see where his feet were taking him.

He got closer and closer, pressing me up against the wall. His eyes still held that terrifying horror, they seemed unable to register anything. "Heracles, please." I pleaded, "Please, stop it."

He slapped me. Stars exploded in front of my eyes, and I sunk to the floor, unable to support my weight. Heracles stared down at me and yelled, "Stand up! Get up and face me! You dare think that you can hurt me or my family? Stand up!"

I began to cry hysterically, unable to do anything else. I couldn't believe this was happening… I heard a faint rustling come from the doorway, Alcander and Ladon stood there, woken up by the noise.

They stared at their father and me. Alcander stepped protectively in front of his younger brother. Heracles ignored them, and continued to bear down on me. "Get up!" he screamed again.

Shaking, I did as he asked. Once I was standing, he grabbed my throat, and began to squeeze the life out of my body.

As I choked and sputtered, Ladon began to cry, and Alcander ran towards his father. I tried to tell him to stop, but the words could not make it past Heracles' hands. Alcander began screaming at his father, telling him to stop. He clawed at his arms, biting him, trying anything to get Heracles to release his mother.

Heracles let go of me with one hand, and slammed it into Alcander. The boy slammed into the wall, and his eyes rolled back in his head.

Ladon began to wail louder, his screams rising in volume until I could have sworn his vocal cords should have torn open. Heracles turned to him, annoyed by the noise.

He dropped me and headed towards his youngest son, obviously intending to _make _himbe quiet. Alcander slowly woke up, and his eyes snapped open as he realized what was happening to his brother.

Just before Heracles reached Ladon, Alcander screamed. His voice ripped through Ladon's wails and he ran at his father.

Heracles quickly smacked Ladon's head into a wall, then turned toward Alcander. I screamed and screamed, but none of it did any good. I watched in horror as Alcander began hitting his father anywhere he could get a blow in, but with an ease that was absolutely terrifying, Heracles grabbed Alcander's arm and snapped it in two.

Alcander screamed in pain, but continued to try and hurt his father. Heracles smacked his head, and Alcander fell to the floor. He didn't get back up.

I wailed as I realized that both of my sons were dead. Murdered by their father.

My husband approached me. I felt his hands once again close around my throat, but I did not fight this time. I wanted to die.

**Review, please.**


	3. Penance

**Heracles**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the myth of Heracles.**

**Heracles POV**

What… what was happening? I looked around me in complete devastation. My wife was on the floor, her neck purple and blue, Alcander was on the other side of the room, his hair sticky with blood. And Ladon, little Ladon was leaning against a wall, completely lifeless.

I knelt down next to Megara, putting my ear next to her mouth. She wasn't breathing. I moved to Alcander, he wasn't breathing, Ladon, nothing.

Who did this? My face grew red in anger, I would kill them with my bare hands. I stood up, ready to find the dirty bastard who did it. Then I glanced down at my hands.

What had happened? My hands… they were covered in blood. But… I couldn't have done this. I ran to the door, and checked the bar over it. It was in place, nobody had come in through the door.

I… I couldn't have done this. Yet no one had come in, and my sons blood was on my hands. It didn't make any sense, I wouldn't hurt my family, I couldn't hurt my family.

I began to shake, deep within me, I knew that I had done this. But how? Even as I thought the question, an answer came.

The queen of the gods had a grudge against me. I had turned my back on her, but she hadn't forgotten about me. I clenched my teeth, hardly holding in a scream. Hera had driven me mad in my sleep, forcing me to kill my wife and children.

I picked up my wife's head and cradled it in my arms, and for the third time in my life, tears fell. I carried my sons over to lay next to their mother, and went to go get some water.

Carefully, I cleaned my wife and sons. I rinsed their faces of the grime that had collected since their last bath, and washed their hair. I dressed them in their best clothing and placed a drachma in each of their mouths.

I dug holes for them at the back of the house, I would not have my families bodies thrown out onto the streets. I placed all three of them into the holes, and carefully piled the dirt back over them, I was sure that Hades would give them a great reward.

I packed my things and headed to Delphi, I would need to consult the Oracle on what could possibly be a severe enough penance for this crime.

**At Delphi**

I entered the temple reverently, and knelt before the Oracle. The whole room was filled with fumes that befuddled the mind, and the Oracle undulated unceasingly, dancing to music only she could hear.

I heard the Oracle approaching me, but out of respect, I kept my forehead to the ground. She knelt beside me and began to whisper in my ear. "I know what you have done." she muttered, "And I know what you seek."

I shuddered, her voice contained power even in a whisper, "Stand." she hissed. I did as she asked, and the Oracle put her fingers on my temples, and began to mutter. She spoke in a language that I could not understand, and her eyes closed, sometimes fluttering open for a couple seconds.

Then her eyes snapped open, and she removed her fingers from my head. "You must go to Eurytheseus. He will give you ten labors, but in the end you will do twelve. This will cleanse you from your heinous crime." The Oracle waved her hand at me, and I began to leave.

But just before I exited the temple, a frigid hand grabbed onto my shoulder. The Oracle brought her lips to my ear and whispered, "You will succeed." And then she left, leaving me standing in the middle of a temple completely confused and terrified.

**Sorry this ones a little shorter, but review anyway!**


	4. Dreams

**Heracles**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything**

**From now on the story will be in Heracles' point of view.**

Lately, I was sleeping for only two or three hours every night. Not because I wanted to get to Eurytheseus faster, but because of the dreams.

I would avoid sleep for as long as possible, eager to avoid the torment that waited for me. When I finally fell asleep every night, Morpheus would seduce me into his realm.

Everything around me would turn pitch black, but after a few minutes things would begin to lighten and take shape. I would look down on my bedroom, and see myself sitting in the corner, rocking back and forth. Then I would see Megara lying in our bed alone.

In horror, I would watch her wake up and approach me, she would try to comfort me, but I was out of my mind. My dream self would stand up and corner Megara. She would plead with me to stop. Then the turning part in the dream would take place, I would slap my wife.

She would sink to the ground, and I would begin to yell at her. The noise would bring my sons, and I would watch Alcander, my brave son, try and help his mother. I would see him run at me and claw my arms, trying to get me to let go of Megara.

I would watch myself kill Ladon first, then Alcander and finally my wife. When I picked her up that last time, she had refused to fight me. Her last act of submission to her husband.

The first time I had experienced this dream, I had thrown up. I had prayed to Zeus to take this dream from me, but once again, my father ignored me.

I had the dream every night, and again and again it would nearly drive me insane with anger and remorse.

Near the end of the dream, I would nearly always hear a laugh. That cruel, divine, feminine laugh would haunt me and I knew who it belonged too. Hera was inflicting these dreams on me. She saw fit not only to kill my family by proxy, she needed to make me relive it every night.

I offered her sacrifice, and prayed to her, but none of it worked. Hera's jealousy refused to bow down to reason, she would not forgive me of my mother's sin.

And thus I became haunted by nightmares. Whenever I had seen one enough times that I had nearly become immune to it, the perspective would change. For nearly a month I had been seeing the whole thing from Alcander's point of view.

It was torturous, to be in the mind of my ten year-old son. He had panicked when he had seen me trying to suffocate his mother. His adolescent mind had been filled with pure terror, but somewhere deep inside, he had found courage.

I was so proud, in that moment when he had charged his father. He knew he couldn't win, he knew he couldn't really help, but he had to try. His reaction when I had slapped him had been of pure shock, he could not register that his father had hit him.

Every morning I would wake up drenched in cold sweat, I would experience tremors and my whole mind would be numb. Throughout the day I could think of nothing but the dreams.

Within a week I reached the small piece of land that Eurytheseus ruled. His realm was suffering from famine and lack of water. Eurytheseus was taxing the people hard, and most couldn't make a living.

I watched disapprovingly as people slaved away in olive fields, picking the ripe fruit off the trees for hours on end. The heat beat down on their backs, and every few minutes, someone would pass out from heat exposure.

I sighed and continued on my way to Eurytheseus' home.

**Review, please.**


	5. Sorry: Just an Authors Note

Guys, I'm really sorry but I am experiencing ginormous amounts of writers block write now. It's hard to even sit down and write this darn note. Please excuse me if I take forever to update or the next few chapters of this story suck. I'm really trying to get over this, but it's taking an awfully long time.

If you have any suggestion on how to get over this horrible affliction, or if you know of something that helps you or someone you know, please help me! Also if you have any ideas, I am very open right now.

Thank you very much for reading this and (hopefully) being tolerant of my inner demons. Good bye!


	6. Into the City

**Heracles**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything**

**Thank you to everybody that helped me through my writers block, I really, really, really appreciate it.**

**Into the City**

I had no trouble finding Eurytheseus' home, he had positioned it on the highest piece of land in the city. He had used his peoples money to make it large and grand, adorning it with statues of the gods.

Aphrodite smiled down at me as I approached the door, her lovely features frozen in the stone. I entered the house, and waited to be attended too. About a dozen people were gathered in the first room, waiting for an audience with Eurytheseus. They all looked anxious and stressed, wringing their hands and sweating.

One of the servants would pop in and shepherd one person at a time in to see Eurytheseus. The chosen person would generally come out after only a few minutes, but the next person would not be accepted for nearly half-an-hour.

I waited impatiently, tiring quickly of Eurytheseus' game. He was stringing his subjects along, making them wait so long for an audience with him, then throwing them out before they could hardly speak.

When I was finally taking into Eurytheseus by one of his maidservants, I was directed to kneel and wait to be spoken to. Angrily, I did what I was asked. I heard Eurytheseus enter the room, but stayed where I was.

"Heracles?"

I heard the question in his voice, and answered curtly. "Yes, surprised?" I heard him chuckle quietly.

"No, actually, I was told that you were coming." That caught my attention, and I sat up, looking him in the eye. No one knew that I was coming here, at least no one who had any contact with Eurytheseus.

He laughed again, taking in the expression on my face. "Yes, Heracles. I was told by a woman that you were coming." His voice dropped to a whisper, "She told me what you did, too. The reason you have sought after me, is because you need to do _penance_." He put painful stress on the last word, letting it sink in.

I let my head sink down, unable to look Eurytheseus in the eyes. I was shamed by the fact that he knew what I had done. I wanted no man nor god to know of the sin I committed, much less this miserable excuse for a human being.

I gritted my teeth and said, "I am assuming, that you have spoken to Hera, Queen of the Gods. She is the only being aware of my transgressions."

Eurytheseus smiled, "Yes, the goddess saw fit to come and speak with me. I am honored to have been chosen to deal with you." I could hear the pride in his voice as he spoke of conferring with Hera. I scoffed at him mentally, Hera would have spoken to a goat if it had meant getting revenge on me.

"I was told by the Oracle of Delphi to perform labors assigned to me." I said, waiting for him to give me my first task.

Eurytheseus sneered, "Yes, I have decided that your first undertaking will be…" he paused in what he figured was a dramatic silence, "to kill the Lion of Nema."

**Review, please**


	7. Hiatus

Hello, lovely readers! I'm very sorry to tell you all that this story is being put on hiatus. I simply can't write it anymore. Hopefully, in a few months inspiration will bless my mind again when it comes to this story, but for now, I'm afraid I just can't continue with this. I'm incredibly sorry, and I hope you'll forgive me.

-linguisticsrock


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